Health Sciences recognizes International Day for Persons with Disabilities

This International Day for Persons with Disabilities (December 3rd), we recognize disabled University of Alberta researchers, teachers, and learners in the College of Health Sciences whose work is making a meaningful impact in their community and beyond. We also acknowledge the road ahead to become a more disability-inclusive university.

If you are in need of accessibility related support or information, the university offers resources including the Academic Success Centre which helps coordinate students’ disability-related accommodation needs for participation in university programs. We also encourage you to review the University of Alberta's Duty to Accommodate Procedure and see if you are eligible for any Accessibility Scholarships & Awards.

Here are some ways U of A researchers, teachers, learners and community members in the College of Health Sciences are striving to create a future accessible to all:

• Meet Danielle Peers, a former Paralympian and professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation who works in the multi-disciplinary field of critical disability studies examining participation in parasport.
• Children with severe mobility issues could control toys or even power wheelchairs with their minds using a device developed by a team out of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.  
• Aspiring para-rower and Steadward Centre youth coordinator helps others with disabilities navigate the world of sport and activity.
• John Carnegie overcame his fear of speaking at work and on the phone through the three-week intensive program at ISTAR (Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research).
• An Engineering graduate student is using his research on wheelchair biomechanics to help create a more accessible world in collaboration with the U of A's Rehabilitation Robotics Lab.